University Of Phoenix Survey Suggests The Majority Of Parents May Be Unaware Of The Effects Of Cyberbullying On Their Children

Ways to protect your kids from cyberbullying can be at your fingertips. (NAPS)

(NAPSI)—October is National Cyberbullying Prevention Awareness
Month, a national campaign to educate and raise awareness of cyberbullying
prevention. With the prevalence of social media sites and mobile apps that
connect people, children today are becoming increasingly more susceptible to
cyberbullying. Yet recent findings suggest many parents may be unaware of
just how often their children are victims and the impact of online bullying.

Cyberbullying research shows that 70 percent of students report seeing
frequent bullying online and more than 40 percent of children aged 12−17
say they have been a victim, with one in four saying it has happened more
than once. The majority of teens say that cyberbullying is a serious problem.
While parents agree, the survey suggests that many may be unaware of their
children’s plight.

University of Phoenix recently conducted a survey on
cyberbullying, which found that nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults
believe it has gotten much more common in recent years. Despite this belief,
79 percent say their child/children have never been the victim of
cyberbullying. This is often due to the fact that children are afraid to
share this information with their parents: Only one in 10 victims will inform
a parent or trusted adult of their abuse.

According to the survey, of those parents whose children have been the
victim of cyberbullying, more than half say it occurs on social media.
Connecting with children on this issue is extremely important. When
cyberbullying goes unnoticed, it can be deadly.

Each year, 4,500 children commit suicide, many as a result of the bullying
they receive online. According to data from the CyberBully Hotline, 20
percent of children think about suicide after being cyberbullied and one in
10 attempt it. In fact, suicide is the No. 3 killer of teens in the U.S., behind
car accidents and homicide.

Dennis Bonilla, executive dean of University
of Phoenix’s College of Information Systems & Technology and School of Business, said parents should
understand how to make these apps more secure and share that knowledge with
their children. Following his tips can help prevent future cyberbullying
attacks.

Bonilla’s tips:

• Be empathetic to their
situation. Children are often afraid or embarrassed to talk about
bullying with their parents. Connect with them by telling them of your own
similar situations and offer to listen to their issues. Don’t approach
them right away with solutions, as this may make them hesitant to share their
struggles with you in the future.

• Teach them how to react.
Many children may not know how to respond to a bully. Tell them to save
evidence and reach out for help. Retaliating or responding could cause a
bigger issue. If they feel in danger, they need to know who and when to call
for help. They should also speak out if someone they know is a victim of
cyberbullying.

• Protect their accounts.
Many social media sites allow users to block or report people. This is not
being a coward and can help stop future attacks. Make sure your children have
strong passwords and don’t share them and close and lock devices and
accounts when not in use, as this can lead to other forms of bullying like
identity theft.

• Perform a “friends-list”
audit. Sit down with your children to do an audit of their friends lists
on social media. If a peer is engaging in bullying, encourage them to remove
him/her. Ask them to keep their friends lists to people they truly know and
talk to. Children may feel obligated to add everyone they know to their
social sites, but this could cause bullying and security issues.

• Serve as an example.
Refrain from posting negative comments on your social channels and limit your
connections to only people you know. Your children are more likely to make a
change if you lead as an example.